Folding chair



Nov. 6, 1951 A, LEWI 2,573,915

' FOLDING CHAIR Filed May 13, 1947 Patented Nov. 6, 1951 OFFICE FOLDING CHAIR.

Alfred Lewis, Chingford, England Application May 13, 1947, Serial No. 747,687

I In Great Britain August 6, 1946 I 2 Claims. ,(Cl. 155-142) This invention relates to folding chairs with more especial reference to so-called deck chairs comprising two rectangular frames pivoted to one another and a strut pivoted on the back portion of one frame and adapted to engage the other to maintain the chair in erected position.

In such chairs the seat usually consists of a length of canvas stretching from the top back rail of one frame to the front rail of the other, and the strut is in the form of a yoke or bridle the cross rail whereof is adapted to engage notches formed for the purpose on the back portion of such other frame, a principal disadvantage and danger of this arrangement being that the chair can be inadvertently collapsed if the rail of the strut becomes disengaged from the notches with serious danger to the occupant of the chair, particularly if the fingers are trapped between the collapsing frame components.

The present invention has for its principal object to remove this disadvantage by providing a folding chair or deck chair construction which, though it may be readily folded intentionally, is free from any likelihood of inadvertent collapse.

In accordance with,the present invention a folding chair comprises two rectangular frames pivoted to one another and furnished with a yoke shaped strut the ends of which are pivoted to one of the chair frames, said strut having a rail which rides in guide slots provided for the purpose in association with the other frame of the chair, the guide slots extending from a location in the vicinity of the pivotal connection between the frames, which location the rail occupies when the chair is collapsed, to a point which it occupies in the erected position.

It will thus be seen that to fold the chair the strut rail is moved inwards, that is towards the pivotal connection between the two frames, and the position of the outermost end of the slot determines the erected set of the chair although, as will be understood, intermediate settings may, if desired, be made available by providing notches in the lower walls of the guide slots with which the strut rail can be selectively engaged, its range of movement about its pivotal connection to the upper back frame being limited by the extent of the slot.

Conveniently each frame is closed and is bent up from a length of metal tubing and the guide slots are formed by welding on to the longitudinals of the lower back frame fiat trough-shaped straps of bar metal. Advantageously, the ends of each frame are detachably connected at the cross rail mounting the canvas or like seat so 2 that by disengaging these ends, the seat may be removed for cleaning or replacement.

Two embodiments of the invention are illustrated by Way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shows a deck chair frame made from bent lengths of metal tubing, in the erected position,

Fig. 2 illustrates the same chair frame in the collapsed position,

Fig. 3 shows to a larger scale and partly in section a turnbuckle joint such as is incorporated in the chair frame shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention, in which the chair frame is made of wood, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the chair illustrated in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, an outer frame I and an inner frame 2 are pivoted together at 3 for folding, and carry a canvas seat 5, shown in chaindotted lines in Fig. 1, between the top back rail 6 of the outer frame I and the front rail I of the inner frame 2.

The frames I and 2 are each made of a single length of bent tubing having oppositely threaded ends 8, Fig. 3, for connection by a turnbuckle sleeve 9. The turnbuckle joints are situated on the seat carrying rails 6, I so that disconnection of the frame ends 8 permits removal and replacement of the canvas seat 5 by simply unthreading from or threading on the rails, the canvas loops at the respective ends of the seat.

A yoke-shaped strut II made of bent metal tubing of smaller gauge has its ends pivoted to the upper part of the outer frame I at I2 while its cross-rail I3 rides in guide slots formed by trough-shaped straps I4 of bar metal welded or brazed under the rear part of the inner frame 2.

The forward ends of the guide slots are near the frame pivots 3 and accommodate the rail I3 in the collapsed position, Fig. 2, while the rear ends of the slots are slightly recessed at I5 positively to locate the rail I3 when the strut II is swung away from the outer frame I to the erected position.

The wooden deck-chair frame shown in Fig. 4 differs from the conventional type in that, according to the invention, the cross rail I3 of the strut I I rides underneath the inner frame 2 in slots formed, as in the previous embodiment, by trough-shaped straps I4 of bar metal, the ends of such straps being fixed in mortice slots out in the longitudinals of the inner frame 2.

In the case of wooden chair frames the slots for the cross rail l3 of the strut may be out in the side members of the frame 2, and as aforementioned it will be understood that the extent of the slots and the dimensions of the strut ll determine the erected set of the chair, although intermediate settings may be made available by notching the walls of the slots, e. g. the inner edges of the straps l4. o

By the present invention an improved construction of folding chair is obtained which cannot be inadvertently collapsed.

What I claim is:

1. A folding chair comprising two rectangu lar frames pivoted to one another and furnished pivoted to one of the chair frames; saidstrut having a transverse rail which rides in guide slots provided for the purpose in association withthe other frame of the chair, the guide slots extending from a location in the vicinity of the pivotal connection between the frames/which location the rail occupies when the chair is collapsed, to a point which it occupies in the erected position.

2. A folding chair according to claim 1 wherein a flat trough-shaped strap of bar metal is secured to each longitudinal member of the lower rear portion of said other frame, the said rail riding in the slots between the said straps and their respective longitudinals.

ALFRED LEWIS.

7 REFERENCES CITED 7 The following references are of record in the me of this patent:

, UNITED STATES PATENTS Number i l Name Date 1 865930 McCauley June 28, 1932 2,096,169 Friesner Oct. 19, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 30,275 Australia-s Got. 10, 1907 92,731 7 Germany Aug. 29,1885 26,643 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1913 170,111

Great Britain Oct. 13, 1921 

